Ah, the great topic of ticket pricing. Do we raise our top ticket price? Do we offer more affordable pricing for sections of the theatre.
Now, the new hot topic may become variable pricing.
As we are sure many of you read last week in The New York Times, the concept of variable pricing may be hitting movie theaters in the near future. According to Peter C. Brown, who runs the nation’s second-biggest theater chain, AMC Entertainment, “I predict we will see it within a year.”
What is variable pricing? Well, in the case of the movie theater industry, it simply means you will pay more for a ticket on the weekends and less on weekdays. You’ll be able to buy a reserved seat in the center of the theater for a few extra dollars.
Should Broadway be next to follow? Should a ticket to a Tuesday night performance cost the same as a Saturday night performance? Should one show that opened to rave reviews have the same pricing structure of one that is simply not as “hot”?
Or, is this pricing strategy dangerous for Broadway or simply not feasible?